Book About Ken Saro-Wiwa

A new novel about Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer and activist for the environment and human rights. He and 8 other activists were executed on trumped-up charges.

A trial against Royal Dutch Shell for its close relationship with the Nigerian military regime is set to begin in New York on May 26. It alleges that Shell was complicit in the Nigerian military's egregious campaign of human rights abuse, including the strategy that led to the executions.

Shell began oil production in the Niger Delta in 1958 and worked with the Nigerian government to suppress opposition to its presence. Nigerian soldiers used deadly force and massive, brutal raids against the Ogoni people (the ethnic group that lives in that region) throughout the early 1990s to repress a growing movement against the oil componsibilityany. This was done at the request of Shell, and with Shell’s assistance and financing.

The US court has jurisdiction under the Alien Tort Statute, which allows non-US citizens to bring lawsuits for certain violations of international law. It has been used to successfully bring lawsuits or in settlement against other corporations (and individuals) including Chevron, Unocal and Yahoo!